How Van Heusen Uses Celebrity Ambassadors to Build a Premium Fashion Identity?

Van Heusen has mastered the art of premium fashion branding by partnering with celebrities who embody sophistication, confidence, and modern style. Let's learn how the brand, through strategic collaborations with Bollywood stars and influential public figures, is a go-to fashion brand in India!

Van Heusen entered the Indian market in 1990 and is owned by Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL). The brand is known for its modern workwear, smart casuals, and premium lifestyle clothing. Over the years, it has become a go-to label for urban professionals looking for stylish yet refined fashion.

Van Heusen is one of India’s most recognisable fashion and lifestyle brands, known for clean designs, modern workwear, and clothes that fit the everyday urban professional. As the fashion market grows more crowded, brands need sharper ways to stand out. And in India, celebrity endorsements have become a big part of that shift. People connect faster with familiar faces, and this makes Van Heusen celebrity endorsements a useful tool in shaping how the brand is seen.

This article looks at how the brand uses well-chosen ambassadors to support premium fashion branding India and strengthen its image among young, style-aware shoppers. You’ll see how the Van Heusen marketing strategy builds trust, adds aspirational value, and keeps the brand relevant in a market driven by quick trends and strong personalities.

By the end, you’ll understand how celebrities help Van Heusen maintain a premium, modern identity without losing its everyday appeal.

Why Van Heusen Selects Celebrity Ambassadors?

1. Brand–Celebrity Fit for a Modern Urban Audience

Van Heusen puts a lot of thought into choosing its celebrity ambassadors. The goal isn’t just to add a famous face to a campaign. It’s to find people who genuinely reflect the brand’s audience–modern, ambitious, and living fast-paced urban lives. Van Heusen celebrity endorsements work because the brand picks personalities who carry the same energy as the people who wear its clothes. These are individuals who look polished but not over the top, confident but still relatable, and stylish without trying too hard.

2. Balancing Aspiration and Relatability

A big part of the strategy comes from understanding what today’s shoppers want. People look up to celebrities, but they also want to see a bit of themselves in them. That “aspiration + relatability” mix is what makes Van Heusen’s choices effective. When someone like Taapsee Pannu appears in a women’s workwear campaign, it feels natural. She’s successful and admired, yet grounded and real. Viewers can imagine themselves in her shoes, wearing similar outfits in their day-to-day routine. This balance allows the brand to stay aspirational without drifting into something that feels unreachable.

3. Reinforcing the Brand’s Versatility

Another reason the brand selects specific celebrities is to show its versatility. Van Heusen has a wide product range–formal shirts, casual wear, athleisure, travel clothing, women’s fashion, and accessories. One ambassador alone cannot represent everything. So the brand creates campaigns that match the right personality with the right product line. A performer known for elegance might front a formal wear campaign, while someone known for energy and modern style may lead a casual or travel collection. This keeps the messaging clear and helps every audience group feel included.

4. Strengthening Premium Positioning

It also strengthens Van Heusen’s premium positioning. When a celebrity wears a well-fitted blazer or a sleek dress from the brand, it creates a sense of quality and refinement. Not in an exaggerated way, but in a practical “this looks good and fits my lifestyle” kind of way. The brand uses ambassadors to highlight the idea that premium clothing doesn’t have to be stiff or exclusive–it can be stylish, comfortable, and suited to the everyday professional.

5. A Strategy That Reflects Real Consumer Aspirations

In the end, Van Heusen selects celebrities who feel like a natural extension of its consumers. The fit, the relatability, and the versatility all come together to make Van Heusen celebrity endorsements more than marketing–they become a reflection of how people want to look and live today.

How Celebrity Endorsements Translate to Premium Brand Perception?

1. Visibility and Brand Recall Improve Instantly

Celebrity endorsements help a brand stand out faster because people recognise the face before they even read the name. That familiarity works like an instant connection. In Bollywood celebrity endorsements fashion brands, this effect is even stronger because viewers already follow these personalities on screens and social media. 

When a celebrity appears in ads, the brand becomes easier to remember. And in a busy market filled with countless labels, that recall gives a big advantage. A simple visual of a known face in a campaign can make shoppers pause, look twice, and keep the brand in mind the next time they shop.

2. Association with Quality and Modern Style

When a fashion brand chooses a public figure who is known for their style, that association naturally lifts the brand’s image. It sends a clear message: “our clothes match this person’s lifestyle.” In fashion brand endorsements India, this link between personality and product is what shapes premium perception. 

People assume the clothing must be well-made, stylish, and modern if a well-dressed celebrity is wearing it. And it doesn’t need loud claims. The visual alone does the work. This subtle push helps brands position themselves in the premium space without sounding boastful or forced.

3. Appeal Widens Across Age and Lifestyle Groups

Celebrity campaigns also help brands reach more types of shoppers. A young professional might connect with a trendy actor. A working woman might relate to a confident, stylish female celebrity. 

And urban shoppers often look for clothes that balance value and style. With the right ambassador, a brand can speak to all these groups at once. In India, people often trust celebrities to guide their fashion choices, so endorsements help break barriers and make premium brands feel more accessible.

4. A Natural Path to Premium Positioning

Premium perception isn’t built overnight. It grows through the small signals people notice–clean visuals, confident styling, and the presence of someone they admire. Celebrity endorsements give brands a simple way to express all of this without complicated messaging. 

When people see a well-known figure wearing something, they picture themselves in it too. And that emotional shift is what moves a brand from “nice” to “premium” in the consumer’s mind.

Van Heusen’s Celebrity Brand Ambassadors in India Till 2025

1. Taapsee Pannu × Van Heusen

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Taapsee Pannu became a Van Heusen brand ambassador for women’s fashion under the campaign name “Lead Every Role,” highlighting the brand’s versatility across occasions.

In the YouTube ad, she presents multiple outfits reflecting workwear, casual wear and modern women’s fashion–underlining Van Heusen’s message that a woman can “lead every role” in life with confidence and style.

2. Sumeet Vyas × Van Heusen

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Sumeet Vyas was signed as the first ambassador for Van Heusen’s innerwear line, a move to expand the brand’s reach beyond formal and outerwear.

The campaign shows Sumeet in comfortable, everyday innerwear, emphasizing practicality and relatability–helping Van Heusen connect with a younger, urban male audience.

3. Hardik Pandya × Van Heusen

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Hardik Pandya, the noted cricketer, was roped in by Van Heusen Innerwear to promote its “Air Series” collection
In the ad, Hardik undergoes rigorous training in a virtual-reality simulator–underlining the lightweight, breathable, performance-oriented nature of the innerwear. This campaign positions Van Heusen as a brand for sporty, dynamic men who value comfort + style.

4. Deepika Padukone × Van Heusen

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Deepika Padukone has worked with Van Heusen on a formal wear / women’s wear line–reportedly even co-designing a “Limited Edition” collection, merging global style sensibilities with the brand’s Indian identity. 

The campaign visuals featuring Deepika evoke sophistication and global fashion appeal–signalling Van Heusen’s push toward a premium, aspirational positioning in women’s western wear.

5. Jacqueline Fernandez × Van Heusen

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Jacqueline Fernandez led the “Carry Your World” campaign for Van Heusen, promoting handbags and the lifestyle of an empowered modern woman. 

The ad shows Jacqueline juggling multiple roles and looks–symbolising how a modern woman carries her “world” in style and expression. This campaign stands out as a part of Van Heusen women’s fashion campaigns targeting mobility, independence, and urban lifestyle.

Get a Famous Celebrity to Promote Your Fashion Brand!

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Partnering with a well-known celebrity can boost visibility, trust, and sales faster than any traditional ad. And you don’t need a massive budget–just the right strategy and a good brand-fit. 

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